Gun sight for antiaircraft weapons and the like



' @BMUH nUUlll 33*26l OR 293999431 SP2 April 30, 1946. GAZDA 2,399,431

GUN SIGHT FOR ANTIAIRCRAFT WEAPONS AND THE LIKE Filed April 17, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l 33, GEOMETRICM YNSTRUMENTS. seam i100! April 30, 1946. A. GAZDA 2,399,431

GUN SIGHT FOR ANTIAIRCRAFT WEAPONS AND THE LIKE Filed April 17, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fl/VTUI VE 6992017 Patented Apr. 30, 1946 UUOH bll UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUN SIGHT FOR AN TIAIRCRAFT WEAPONS AND THE LIKE 1 Claim.

The constantly increasing speeds which are being attained by modern warplanes, such as dive bombers and the like, have commensurately increase in the diameter of the gun sight, usually mounted on the barrel or receiver of the gun. These sights conventionally comprise essentially a metallic annulus, across the diameter of which are stretched a plurality of orienting wires of hair-breadth thickness.

Sights of this character are manifestly exp d to very severe vibration, particularly when mounted on weapons such as automatically-firing anti-aircraft cannons which operate at very high speed. Increase in diameter of the sight annulus tends, however, to enhance rather than suppress the vibration.

The high speed of the plane and the high speed of operation of the guns make it so diflicult to use the conventional sightsthe wires of which are very short-livedthat gunners avoid their use, preferring to rely upon tracer bullets for aiming. The result is, of course, to markedly reduce the effectiveness of the gunfire, since the tracer bullets, which have to be employed in large number, do not contain the quantity of high explosive contained in the regular high explosive shells.

The provision of an anti-aircraft gun sight which is free of the aforedescribed disadvantages would manifestl constitute a substantial contribution to the state of the art. The present invention provides such a sight.

Briefly stated, the new gun sight consists of i the combination of a sight ring and a sight bead which may be fixed to the gun either separately or associated together as a unit. The sight ring according to this invention consists essentially of a solid transparent plate of suitable material, for example, plastic synthetic resin and the like, in which sight lines may be engraved or otherwise marked. The solidity of the device imparts great stability to the sight which is not influenced by vibrations such as those due to the firing of the automatic anti-aircraft gun with which it may be associated.

A further difiiculty encountered by aerial gunners employing conventional gun sights is the impossibility of aiming into the sun and at targets covered by light clouds. The present invention makes it possible largely to obviate this dimculty by making the sight plate of polarized material of the character of the well-known anti-glare Polaroid.

Various other details of construction incident to the realization of the foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of several presently-preferred exemplary embodiments thereof, reference being had in this regard to the accompanying illustrative drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a first form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation corresponding to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a second form of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the embodiment of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation, on a somewhat enlarged scale, of the sight plate of the embodiment of Fig. 3, with a part broken awa and shown in section;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a third form of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a front elevation corresponding to Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a View, partly in section and partly in side elevation of still another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 10 is a front elevation corresponding to Fig. 9, with parts broken away;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary top plan view of the embodiment of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary section showing part of the gearing of the device of Fig. 9.

Corresponding parts bear the same reference characters throughout the several figures of drawings.

The simplest embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. Reference numeral It) represents the sight ring of the device, while reference numeral ll designates the essentially conventional sight bead. The parts are associated by the common supporting bar l2 which is fixed to the conventional lug or other suitable means fixed to the gun (not shown).

The sight ring It] may preferably comprise a metallic peripheral annulus l0 which encases the periphery of a solid disk H of suitable transparent material such as synthetic resin (e. g. Lucite, Plexiglas, eta), colorless tourmaline,

IIUUIII etc. The annulus Il may conveniently be U- shaped in section, with the disk M fitting into the space between the legs of the U.

The disk I4 may be of a one-piece cast or molded construction and may have the sight lines 15 engraved or otherwise marked thereon. Alternatively, the disk l4 may be of a laminated construction with the sight lines l marked on an interior surface of one of the laminae prior to integration of the several laminae.

The sight bead ll may preferably be arranged on the other side of lug l3 from the sight ring [0. This bead being of conventional construction, further detailed description thereof is unnecessary. The cooperative relationship of the parts described will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The solid character of the sight ring Hi imparts the necessary stability thereto enabling it to withstand the vibrational and other forces to which it may be subjected in use.

In the embodiment of Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the sight bead construction I l remains conventional. The sight ring construction differs from that aforedescribed primarily in that the transparent material of which the disk I4 is made is of the type of Polaroid glass, or of tourmaline, i. e. is capable of polarization of the light rays impinging thereon. The result is to dissipate glare and to make it possible to sight and aim at a target having the sun or light clouds as background. The disk, in this embodiment, comprises the sight lines l5 of the previous embodiment.

In order to be able to realize maximum polarization and, consequently, maximum glare dissination, it is desirable to be able to rotate disk I, within the casing II, to position of maximum polarization. To this end, casing ll may conveniently be provided at its lower end with an integral gear housing I6 within which may be housed and journaled a worm gear I! actuata by means of projecting handle 18. The adjacent peripheral portion of disk I4 is dentated as at IS in engagement with gear 11, whereby rotation of the latter by means of handle 18 effects a simultaneous rotation and adjustment of disk H.

In all other respects, this second modification of the invention coincides with the first embodiment.

According to the embodiment of Figs. 7 and 8, the sight ring part of the device coincides with that of Figs. 3-5 inclusive. The sight bead construction is modified, however, in that the bead is vertically adjustable. To this end, the bar l2 terminates at the sight bead end in an interiorly threaded cylindrical sleeve 20 in which the bead part proper is threadedly mounted by means of its externally threaded shank 2|. The latter terminates in a knurled enlargement 22 whereby the shank 2| may be turned relative to sleeve 20 to effect vertical adjustment up or down with respect to the sight ring. The parts 20 and 22 may be graduated, if desired, so that the extent of adjustment may be measured.

Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12, finally, show still another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the sight bead part of the device may preferably be a duplicate of that of the embodiment of Figs. '7 and 8. The sight ring construction is modified, however, in that the means for adjusting the disk I4 is operable from the head end of the device. To this end, casing II is provided at its lower end, as shown in Fig. 12, with a gear casing 23 for the reception of a ring gear 24 which cooperates with corresponding gear teeth 25 provided on the periphery of disk l4.

Bar [2 assumes, in this embodiment, the hollow configuration shown on the drawings, the shaft 2Gat the end of which gear 25 is mounted-being received therein and extending back to gear casing 21, where the other end thereof is journaled. Casing 21 houses bevel gears 28 and 29, actuatable through the handle 30, whereupon the desired adjustment of disk 14 may be efiected.

In order to facilitate use of the device according to the present invention for night firing, the sight lines l5 may preferably be formed of luminous (radiumized or phosphorescent) material.

It is apparent from the foregoing description that the present invention provides a novel relationship of parts whereby the desired objects and advantages, as hereinbefore enumerated, are realized.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

A gun sight of the character described comprising a supporting bar, means for mounting said supporting bar intermediate the ends thereof on an automatic anti-aircraft cannon or the like, a solid transparent sight disk of shatterproof synthetic material, sight lines on said disk, means for mounting said sight disk at one end of said bar, said means comprising a supporting housing for said disk substantially peripherally encasing the latter, a bead sight, means at the other end of said bar for mounting said bead sight thereon, means for adjusting the angular position of said sight disk in said casing and comprising peripheral dentations on said disk and manually operable gearing engageable with said dentations for moving said disk, and means for adjusting the vertical position of said bead sight on said bar.

ANTOINE GAZDA. 

